This invention relates to an insertable holder device for printed circuit boards such as those which can be placed in tote boxes for automatic or manual handling. More particularly, the invention relates to a printed circuit board holder which requires a minimum number of component parts and is especially suited for manual placement and removal of circuit boards therefrom.
In order to facilitate the handling of the printed circuit boards, circuit board holders are employed in conjunction with container boxes. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,222, which is commonly assigned, there is an insert in the form of an inserted frame which is placed in a tote box so as to provide precise locating of the printed circuit board in the frame holding device. While this particular structure affords the precise placement of the printed circuit board for location by automated means such as a robot, in many instances such precise locating is not required such as when a manual placement or removal is conducted. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,601 there is described a guide for holding an electronic circuit board between the walls of a housing. It has a specially designed rod-type clamping member 30 mounted on the interior wall of the container for this purpose.
The prior art does not provide a printed circuit board holder which can be efficiently placed inside a tote box and require a minimum number of component parts. Neither does the prior art provide a printed circuit board holder of the foregoing type which can be utilized as a divider plate in a tote box of standard configurations as well as afford a frame-like track structure for divider slots for holding the printed circuit boards with the divider slots having varying slot configurations and sizes so as to customize it to a customer's specific circuit card configuration.
It is an advantage of this invention to provide a printed circuit board holder which can be accommodated in a container box having standard dimensions and configurations and is adjustable.
It is another advantage of this invention to provide a printed circuit board holder which acts as a divider and can receive slotted holders of various dimensions and on both sides of a single divider.
It is still another advantage of this invention to provide a holder of the foregoing type wherein a frame member acts as a divider and has tracks for receiving the slotted holder.
It is a further advantage of this invention to provide a circuit board holder of the foregoing type wherein the holder member is formed from a single molded part with opposed facing panels joined by a common hinge.
It is yet another advantage of this invention to provide a printed circuit board holder of the foregoing type which is especially adapted to having printed circuit boards manually placed therein and removed therefrom.
Other advantages of this invention are the circuit board holder of the foregoing type which can be manufactured from a minimum number of parts; from readily available material; without close tolerances and without extensive tooling.